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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. land — a country
  3. race — humankind
  4. last — to go on
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wake — a trail
  8. land — to come down
  9. last — final
  10. mug — to rob
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — finally
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. race — the arms race
  17. prune — to trim
  18. land — ground
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com